Summer of Extremes
by gosgirl
Summary: A series of missing scenes from after the finale of Season 9 and during the summer covered during the opening episode of Season 10. First time Gabby. First in the 'Seasons' series.
1. Chapter 1: Wasted Time

**Summer of Extremes**

Author: Gosgirl  
Rating: Eventual MA in later chapters  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Romance / angst  
Spoilers: Season 9, Till Death Do Us Part and Season 10, Extreme Prejudice  
Summary: A series of missing scenes from after the finale of Season 9 and during the summer covered during the opening episode of Season 10. First time Gabby.

Author's Note: There'll be four parts to this series with tags / missing scenes (some lighthearted, others angsty) for all the episodes in Season 10. This first one: _Summer of Extremes _leading to first time Gabby (about 5 chapters in total); then following their established relationship through _Fall of Recovery_, _Winter Squall_ and _Chasing Spring._

This first chapter was written for the prompt 'Survive' on the Gabby Shipper Forum last summer, so was written before _Extreme Prejudice_ was broadcast so it won't fit canon entirely. It was originally included in Random Ramblings, so I've just deleted it from there, so no need to review again if you were kind enough to do so over there, but I wanted to keep all this together.

And a final A/N unrelated to this story. Gracerealised left a review for Distance Nightmare and Closer Reality but as it was a guest review, I couldn't respond directly, so I'm sneaking a big thank you in here for the lovely comments.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Wasted Time**

It was the silence that struck Gibbs first.

The silence that followed in the seconds after the initial shockwave and noise of the blast diminished… after the flash of the explosion and wave of heat rolled over them, and after the debris stopped raining down on his head.

The silence before a muffled roaring registered in his ears and his numbed brain realized he might be squashing the woman pinned underneath him.

Willing himself to move, Gibbs eased back far enough to check on Abby, relieved at least when all his limbs obeyed his brain without too much pain and the roaring in his ears diminished to a dull ringing.

Conscious they were lying in something sticky, Gibbs felt an initial surge of panic, thinking it was blood, but realized as his hand slipped that it was Abby's Caf!Pow which had spilled on the floor as they'd fallen.

His mind flashed back to his frantic dash back into the NCIS building against the tide of people coming out. As he raced downstairs, the image of Abby still in her lab, oblivious to the danger just outside her window, dominated everything.

He'd had no thought in his head other than to reach Abby and get her out, his brain beating out a tattoo of... _please God, not again, not Abby_.

Seized with the gut wrenching fear that he was going to be too late, the thought of losing someone else he loved had almost paralysed him.

That it was going to happen right in front of him only added to the horror.

It was only his training that allowed Gibbs to control the terror so he could still function.

As Gibbs raised himself off Abby's prone form, he began to cough in the smoke swirling through the lab. Conscious of the crackle of fire somewhere nearby, Gibbs gazed down at Abby's face, aware she wasn't moving.

He could see blood from a cut on her neck and his hand shook as he tried to find a pulse…

… and felt his own heart start beating again when green eyes opened and fastened on his immediately.

Her eyes widened with fear as her hands came up to clutch the front of his jacket. Abby was shaking slightly and her mouth formed words Gibbs could barely hear. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it but the ringing in his ears persisted.

He replied anyway, figuring at least his voice would work, keeping his hand cupping her neck, hoping the contact might stop the panic he could see rushing into her face as her eyes began darting about.

"You okay, Abby? Are you hurt?"

Judging by the frown on her face and the way her eyes dropped to his mouth, Abby was in a similar predicament with her own hearing and Gibbs repeated the question, the vibration of his voice sounding muffled in his own ears.

This time Abby lip-read him easily and shook her head, her breathing fast and shallow but she began to unclench her hands from his jacket. Her face was pale, cheeks smudged with dirt, but Gibbs could see no other obvious injuries, other than on her neck.

In turn, Abby captured his face in her hands, staring at him intently and although he couldn't lip-read as well as she could, Gibbs saw the concern in her eyes as she mouthed her question and nodded, "I'm fine, Abbs."

Abby narrowed her eyes as she read his expected reply but allowed Gibbs his deflection for now, and began struggling to sit up. She wanted to get a better look to check Gibbs really wasn't injured.

It wasn't quite how she'd imagined one day having Gibbs on top of her, and she was still stunned over the speed of events, the sudden appearance of Gibbs in her lab, followed so soon by the shock of the blast.

Her mind was whirling in a hundred different directions but Abby was almost sure she wasn't badly hurt, apart from this disorientating deafness which she prayed was only temporary. Her heart was racing and she could feel it thudding rather than hear it, a side effect of the deafness.

As soon as he'd dragged her to the ground, almost at the same time as the bomb detonated, Gibbs had rolled on top of her, shielding her from the worst of it. She'd spent most of the explosion with her face buried in Gibbs' chest, surrounded by his larger body, his arms almost cradling her head.

Once again, Gibbs was protecting her... keeping her safe.

And the fact that Gibbs was here... solid... safe... _alive _... was keeping a lot of her own fear and panic at bay.

Surviving the explosion herself but not knowing where Gibbs was, whether he was alive or dead or badly injured, that would have been enough to freak her out. That he might have been injured in an effort to protect her was making her feel guilty enough.

But Abby felt she could cope with anything if Gibbs was by her side.

He'd always been her anchor, her rock, and even more so now, as the full horror of what had happened began to sink in, and the consequences for people she cared about and worked with, her friends... her family.

But there'd be enough time to grieve later.

Together, they helped each other sit up, their clothes damp and sticky from the spilled Caf!Pow. Gibbs was partially covered in dust and debris, but there were no obvious serious injuries that Abby could see, beyond the cut on his forehead and blood on his ear, but she knew he would hardly admit to anything less than full blown agony.

He ran his hand over his forehead and felt the slight sting from several cuts. Dismissing it as minor in favour of examining Abby for injuries, Gibbs grabbed her hand, caught and held eye contact, and signed.

_Can you stand?_

Abby nodded, and ignoring the protests from what felt like bruised muscles, Gibbs helped her up, noticing the grimace as she put weight on her leg and immediately tried to take a closer look. Her black pants were torn and what looked like a thankfully shallow cut on her right leg was oozing blood.

Abby attracted his attention, shaking her head when she saw the worry on his face, signing, _I'm okay_.

Abby could feel the sting of the cuts on her neck and leg but apart from a few bruises where she'd hit the floor, she was in pretty good shape considering what had happened. She was more worried about what they both might be breathing in.

Gibbs looked round at the devastation of what had once been her lab… the windows gone, every surface covered in glass and shards of metal, the stench of smoke in the air with fire damage across the ceiling, and the condition of much of her precious equipment unclear.

He could see through the gaping holes which used to be her windows but there was no sign of the car… just twisted pieces of metal on the sidewalk. But at least it looked like the car itself had been blown away from the building, which was one small mercy.

His training began kicking in, mind began running through what to do next. Outside rescue would be a long time coming so they had get out of here by themselves. He needed to get Abby somewhere safe so he could concentrate on finding the rest of his team and assisting with the rescue effort for other survivors... if there were any.

For now, he pushed away the thought that maybe dozens of people he worked with every day might well be among the dead.

Anyone who'd already made it out of the building when the bomb went off hadn't necessarily been any safer either; the fireball from the explosion and wreckage of the car would have been just as lethal to those caught out in the open.

The fireball had most likely gone upwards, after taking out the lab windows, the ground floor entrance and security. So the full length glass of the bullpen on the third floor had likely felt a good force of the blast, and he felt nauseous at the possibility the fireball had taken the line of least resistance up the stairwell which people were using to try to get out of the building.

His attention was drawn back to Abby when she began tugging on his jacket. Turning his head, he saw Abby was gesturing at his back, mouthing something but he still couldn't hear anything too clearly. When she'd tugged it off him, he could see that the back of the jacket was ripped and had begun smoking from where embers had fallen onto the cloth.

He'd no sooner registered that than the few sprinklers which hadn't been melted completely in the original fireball sputtered into life, dowsing some of the flames from the equipment and soaking them.

Gibbs moved towards the window, trying to assess if it was safe to get out this way or if the jagged edges of the window above his head were too dangerous. As he moved, he became conscious of the sting from what felt like more cuts on his back and that his left leg was beginning to protest. He turned and waved his hand to catch her eye, from where Abby was peering intently at something in the corner of her lab.

Abby waved him over urgently, gesturing at her cabinets where most of the glass was broken and various bottles were spilling their contents or had already shattered on the floor. Her mind was rapidly processing the results of some of those chemicals mixing and not liking the answers.

Gibbs glanced at her determined face as she began signing rapidly; too fast for him to follow at first. He grabbed her hands, calling loudly, "slow down."

He trusted her enough to follow her lead in her own domain, guessing what she was worried about.

Abby took a deep breath and tried signing again. _Out now this way. Must seal door._

And he could just about hear her this time as she went on, raising her voice, "Too many chemicals, Gibbs. We can't wait… we need to get out now and seal this room."

Sounds were beginning to seep back through his muffled hearing and he could hear distant sirens and intermittent cries and shouts from outside.

Gibbs nodded and took her hand as they turned towards the door, the glass underfoot crunching under his boots. Abby bent and scooped up Bert and her bag as they left the lab.

Smoke and dust in the air darkened the hallway and the emergency lighting had kicked in. When they were outside the door, together they pushed the heavy door shut. Fortunately, it was still on its hinges but the considerable glass debris in the doorway itself scraped and crunched as they forced it closed.

Abby slammed her hand onto the locking mechanism, grimacing when nothing happened and when they let go of the door, it began opening again. Gibbs leaned his weight on the door to keep it shut while Abby rummaged in her bag. Gibbs felt a surge of affectionate pride when Abby produced a knife and started on the control plate for the lock.

Her hands were shaking slightly as she worked, but Abby was desperately concentrating on doing _some_thing in order to keep panic at bay, trying not to think too closely about what was happening elsewhere in the building and how many people had make it out alive... and how many hadn't.

And even if Gibbs couldn't hear her clearly, Abby needed to talk; to get it out of her system as she attempted to trigger the door's locking mechanism.

"We couldn't wait, Gibbs. There's some pretty lethal stuff in there; stuff that should not be exposed to either fire or water, and certainly shouldn't be mixed with some of the other chemicals in there, and we really don't wanna be breathing that stuff in. You gotta trust me on this."

As the solid door was muffling the noises from the street, and they were standing closer together, Gibbs was beginning to hear her voice slightly more clearly, as well as his own.

"Hey," he raised his voice to catch her attention. "I trust ya, Abbs. Just tell me what we need to do, and speak up… still can't hear too well."

He could guess most of what she was about to tell him but knew it was Abby's way of coping with stress, so didn't interrupt.

She took a deep breath and turned back to the panel. "Okay, it may seem silly to be trying to seal the door when there's a gaping hole onto the street, but if some of that stuff gives off the fumes it's capable of, we want it drifting out into the air and not back this way into a confined space; and adding to what anyone trapped in the building might breathe in. Also if there's a fire or an explosion from some of the equipment, we want that room sealed off from the rest of the building… whatever the hell's going on in the rest of the building."

They were both silent for a second, instinctively straining to hear and Gibbs felt his gut clench as faint cries for help penetrated, meeting Abby's gaze and trying to pour all his reassurance into it as he saw her eyes fill with tears.

Gibbs could see the monumental effort it took for her not to give into her tears and turn back to working on the panel. It was only his training that was allowing him to keep his own despair and frustration at bay.

It felt like hours since the bomb had gone off but in reality, it had only been minutes.

Time had a way of expanding in a disaster.

He needed to find out what was happening in the rest of the building. Protocol meant that no rescuers would be allowed to enter the building until bomb disposal declared it safe. He hoped that the rest of his team were outside, doing everything they could to make that happen as quickly as possible. In the meantime, neither he nor Abby could move away from the lab and get out because of the damn door.

As Abby continued to work on the panel, she tried to occupy her mind by asking, "Where was the bomb, Gibbs?"

"In Vance's car."

He recognized the distraction technique for what it was and went along with it, while looking round for something to brace the door in case Abby couldn't get the lock to work. He knew the room had to be sealed as opposed to just propped shut but it would be better than nothing.

Her breath hitched, eyes widening as she remembered the Director pulling up in his temporary parking spot. "Right outside the front of the building."

"Yeah. Why didn't ya leave before, Abbs?" He remembered the horror of looking up from the car and seeing Abby still in her lab, mere yards away from the bomb.

"I was securing evidence, Gibbs, from all my open cases. And I didn't know where the bomb was anyway and I can't just leave stuff unattended, you know that..." she paused, "though I guess it's a bit academic now." Any evidence that wasn't already destroyed was now so contaminated that no court would accept it.

Suddenly, Abby cursed and slammed her hand against the wall as her penknife broke. "Goddammit. We need to get outta here; find out where everyone is, how many survived, find the team, find out how many of our... how many have died."

"I know, Abbs," he kept his voice level in an attempt to keep her calm.

"And there's a crime scene to secure... I've got evidence to process," she broke off. "Have you got your knife, Gibbs?"

Gibbs automatically reached for his pocket, cursing when he remembered. "Gave my knife to Cole."

Abby glanced at him. "Cole?" He could see her quick brain make the connection as she went on. "Bomb disposal."

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah… left him there. He told me to come get you."

He remembered Cole's understanding expression, his last words and how he'd felt a flash of gratitude to the guy who'd made it possible for him to reach Abby. If she'd been any nearer the windows when they'd blown, she'd most likely be dead.

"Then it may not change what he did to Tony but… he saved your life, Gibbs… and you saved mine. He sacrificed himself."

"Yeah... yeah, Abbs, he did."

If Cole had still been in the car, and he had no reason to think the guy had cut and run the minute Gibbs' back was turned, then he was very dead.

"You wouldn't have moved from that car, would you, if Cole hadn't been there?" she whispered, distress lurking in her eyes. "You'd have tried to defuse it yourself."

One look at his blue eyes gave her the answer and Abby bit her lip. "I nearly lost you, didn't I? I'm not sure I'd have survived that, Gibbs."

He sucked in a breath at the flash of... something he saw on her face for a moment. "You'd have been okay, Abbs."

Abby shook her head, tears once again threatening to spill over. "Wouldn't have wanted to live, Gibbs... not if you were gone."

Did he really think it would be that simple? That she could just move on without him?

She'd loved Gibbs for years... had wanted him for as long as she could remember. She certainly didn't want to live in a world without him, even if he wasn't hers.

He looked at her, startled by her words, not sure whether to put that down to the fear of the moment or something else entirely.

Feeling the weight of his stare but not sure how to interpret it, Abby averted her eyes. She gestured with one hand while pushing her hair off her face, leaving a smear of grease across her cheek. "Bert's collar… there's a knife in the buckle."

"Bert's carrying?!"

That triggered a small smile which reached her eyes. "Of course he is… he follows your rules too."

Gibbs shook his head in amused disbelief. Only Abby could give him the urge to smile in the midst of this hell.

Her wet hair was tangled, her face covered in smears of smoke, grease, blood and her eyes were battling tears, and he could see her whole body was close to losing the fight not to start shaking.

… _God, he loved his woman._

He'd tried to ignore his feelings for Abby for so long... had tried to bury himself in other relationships, some good, some bad.

Some had worked better than others for a while but they'd all ultimately faltered for one reason or another, including his latest attempt to move on; this one crashing and burning in a mire of Dearing, a mother's fear for her son and above all, exasperation, distrust and anger at mind games which eventually spilled over from the professional to personal.

Abby had always accepted him for who he was and hadn't tried to change him. Her friendship had sustained him more than anything else in his life in recent years, even if she didn't share his feelings.

When Gibbs freed the knife from Bert's collar and handed it to Abby, she gave him a brief smile of thanks. From where he was holding the door closed, he could just reach a hand onto her shoulder and squeezed it encouragingly as she turned back to the panel.

Gibbs was conscious that the air was becoming thicker in the corridor and he started coughing. When Abby glanced at him worriedly, he shook his head, trying to reassure her.

But she frowned at him, her worry intensifying when her brain ran through what they might be breathing in. "You gotta tell me if you have trouble breathing, Gibbs."

He rolled his eyes, impatiently. "I'm not havin' trouble breathin', Abbs... and we can't do much even if we both do." He didn't have time for her to fuss over him.

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't tell me," Abby snapped back. When he merely raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. "Sorry... I get real bossy when I'm scared. But I'm not kidding, Gibbs. If either of us have difficulty breathing, we have to tell each other, in case one of us passes out and we need to tell the medics. No point being all brave and superhero about it. So I'll tell you if I have problems breathing and you do the same, right? Deal?"

Gibbs nodded, inwardly amused at her determined stare down but conceding she had a point. "Deal."

While Abby worked, Gibbs had been trying to get a connection on his cell long enough to get a call out, cursing when the signal became intermittent.

Abby eyed him, nodding her head at her bag at his feet. "Try mine… it's a better phone. The local cell tower might be overloaded coz everyone's trying to make calls, or it could be this door. The signal's always been hinky just outside here."

"Sooner we can move away from it the better, Abbs. Need to get through."

"Workin' on it."

The door was shaken by the boom of something inside the lab exploding and they stared at one another grimly. He couldn't yet feel the heat of anything through the door, so presumably the sprinklers were coping but Gibbs needed to get them both the hell away from here to a safer place… if there was such a thing in the building.

"Okay... I've nearly got it." Abby bit her lip as she concentrated.

Within a few seconds, Gibbs heard the hiss of the locking mechanism and the door 'clunked' shut behind him and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, what next?" Abby asked Gibbs as he took her hand and they set off down the corridor.

"We find a way outta here. Rescue teams won't be allowed in till the bomb squad are certain there are no more bombs. So we gotta get ourselves out, and then see who else is still trapped."

They checked the other rooms along the hallway for anyone trapped, finding no one... to the relief of them both.

Not intending to use the elevator, Gibbs nevertheless stopped by it, pulling Abby to a halt. Holding out a hand to the door, he stopped when he was close to the metal surface, feeling it warm but not overly hot... wondering if that meant that fire was using the elevator shaft to spread through the building, his stomach clenching at the thought of what could be raging over their heads.

Abby's voice drew his attention back. "Where were the team, Gibbs?"

"Tony and Ziva were working to get everyone out. McGee was in the bullpen when I left with Cole. Don't know where Vance was." He wrapped an arm round Abby's shoulders as they moved off towards the stairwell.

"At least there's one good thing out of all this."

He looked down at her worried face. "There is?"

"Yeah, Jimmy and Ducky aren't here, thank God… so they should be okay, right? And Dr. Ryan wasn't in the building, was she?" When he shook his head, Abby went on, somewhat nervously. "You must be relieved about that… perhaps you should try and call her? She'll be worried about you, won't she?"

Watching his relationship develop with Dr Ryan over the past couple of months had been difficult to watch. Abby wanted nothing but happiness for Gibbs... even if it wasn't with her.

And initially Gibbs had looked happy with Ryan, or with a bounce in his step as Ziva had put it, but lately he'd seemed sad, almost troubled and Abby had wondered at it.

"No need."

When Abby glanced at him, startled, a question clearly visible in her eyes and Gibbs hesitated before admitting, "We're done... she's left town by now." He turned away quickly, ignoring her eyes on him as he tried again to reach Vance.

Abby's mind was whirling, knowing this was neither the time nor the place to pursue the sliver of hope that was uncurling inside her.

As they moved on, they both tried to make contact with the team... with anyone, but either their calls would go to voicemail, get cut off or there'd be no reply.

Gibbs held up a hand after one attempt finally connected, leaving a quick message as to their situation and snapped the phone shut, turning to Abby. "Vance… got his voicemail… no idea if it'll get through."

"I can't reach anyone, Gibbs. It's totally freakin' me out." He could see her starting to unravel, hands gripping her phone tightly as she tried not to lose it.

Gibbs closed his hand round her fingers, leaning his forehead against hers, whispering her name as he made a familiar sign against her cheek. "Need you to focus, Abbs. Need you."

Whether it was his presence or voice, it seemed to calm her and he pulled her into a hug as her shaking eased. Abby clutched at him, her arms wrapping tightly round his back as she murmured. "Need you too."

Gibbs curbed his impatience, knowing if he could just get her brain to focus, she could get through this. And calming Abby down was helping to ground him too.

Eventually Abby took a deep breath, easing back to look up at him. "Okay… okay… I'm back, Gibbs. I can do this. Focus… time to fall apart later, right?"

He cupped her face. "Yeah… plenty of time when we're all out. Deal?"

"Deal." She nodded, smiling slightly at the echo of her own words, reaching up to squeeze his hands. Squaring her shoulders, Abby turned towards the stairwell.

Repeating the testing of the door for heat, Gibbs pushed at the door with his shoulder, Abby adding her weight as they pushed the debris in the doorway out of the way so they could enter the stairwell.

As they began climbing the stairs, Abby hanging onto his hand, Gibbs made himself a promise.

If… _when_… they got out of here, when they found his team and the rest of his NCIS family, he was gonna make that bastard Dearing pay dearly for what he'd done.

And then he was gonna quit wasting time. He would find the courage to tell Abby how he felt, no matter what the outcome.

The close call today... the fact that he could have died, or worse, that Abby could without knowing how he felt about her, that was far worse than taking a chance on telling her, even if she didn't return his feelings.

So, he had a plan.

Survive this and move on... either together, or alone.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2: When Sorrows Come

**Summer of Extremes**

A/N: This missing scene covers Gibbs telling the team the news of Ducky's heart attack. And the title is from a favourite Shakespeare quote of mine: 'When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.'

* * *

**Chapter 2 – When Sorrows Come...**

As he listened to Palmer's voice in his ear, Gibbs' first thought on hearing the news of Ducky's heart attack was, _not Ducky... he was supposed to be safe._

"The, er, operation to insert the stents should be in the morning, Agent Gibbs, when the, um, surgeon is happy that Dr Mallard is stable enough to cope with the surgery."

"Is he in a lot of pain?" Gibbs rubbed a hand over his forehead, massaging between his eyes.

"Not too bad he tells me... shortness of breath mainly and he's very weak. He's cranky and wants to get out of here though." Gibbs allowed himself a small smile at Palmer's description.

Ducky never did make the best patient, and that would be exacerbated now with his friend's desperation to get back to the Navy Yard to help with the aftermath of the bombing, even if he wasn't in a fit state to do anything right now.

Palmer went on. "I'm gonna come back to DC in the morning."

"You got a flight?"

"Yeah, and, er, Breena's gonna stay for a day or so here."

"She okay?" Gibbs felt a flash of sympathy for the young couple who were supposed to be celebrating their wedding day and heading off on honeymoon.

"Yeah, she's... been amazing," replied Palmer and there was no mistaking the pride in his voice. "Not sure she'll remember this day for the right reasons though."

"Give it time, Palmer. Ducky won't forget what you and she did."

And neither would he... and he was glad Palmer hadn't been here in the building when it blew. Gibbs was sure the same thought had occurred to Breena too.

"We wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else," said Palmer, simply. "Agent Gibbs, I... haven't been able to get through to anyone else to let them know about Dr Mallard. The team is... they are okay, aren't they?"

"Yeah, McGee's getting stitches from flying glass but everyone else is okay." Gibbs sighed. "We were lucky."

His mind went back over just how close he came to losing everyone... to losing his family, again.

Flashes from the day shot through his head.

The horror of falling with Abby to the floor as the bomb went off... the incredible feeling of relief at seeing Tony and Ziva emerging from the elevator unscathed... the shock of seeing the shard of glass sticking out of a dazed and oblivious McGee's side... the debris field outside the building... a distraught Vance, already starting to blame himself... the sight of Abby sitting amongst the rubble, letting the relief wash over him again at the thought she was alive and unharmed... Cole's body being covered up... other bodies, colleagues, friends in body bags, or with life changing injuries.

And now Ducky... so many miles away, supposedly safe.

"How many weren't so lucky?" asked Palmer, hesitantly.

"Too many, Palmer..." He let the silence drift for a second or two. "I'll tell 'em about Ducky."

When the call was disconnected, Gibbs leaned his hand against the wall for a moment, trying to get a grip on his emotions and fighting the wave of tiredness that swept through him.

_What the hell else were they gonna be hit with today? _

_What else was Dearing planning? _

Fornell suddenly appeared at his side, a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Gibbs? What's wrong?"

Gibbs straightened with an effort, holding up his phone. "That was Palmer. Ducky... had a heart attack. When he got the news about the bombing."

Fornell ran his hand over his head. "Oh, jeez... he gonna be okay?"

Gibbs shrugged. "They're operating tomorrow."

Fornell stepped aside as one of the rescue workers moved past where they stood in one of the back corridors by the conference room. "Something else we can lay at the feet of that son of a bitch."

"Oh yeah."

The icy determination in Gibbs' quiet voice was unmistakable and Fornell stared at his friend for a moment.

"Your team's still in the bullpen, Jethro," Fornell told him, guessing that would be Gibbs' next step, telling his team. As Ducky was the father figure of this unlikely family, Fornell knew it was hardly going to be an easy task and he didn't envy the guy.

Gibbs glanced at his friend, nodding his thanks, before pushing off from the wall and heading in that direction.

Fornell watched him go for a moment before heading outside. Gibbs was functioning as he always did in a crisis... rigid, controlled, icy, focused.

The fallout would come later, and Fornell was determined to be around later to stave that off, if he could.

* * *

Gibbs rounded the corner into the bullpen, the air still making the throat tickle with dust and smoke but the atmosphere was slightly clearer than earlier. Tony, Ziva and Abby were helping to clear some of the debris from the desks in the bullpen, along with other agents now allowed back in the building.

They all looked up at he approached and Gibbs suddenly felt all of his fifty years and then some. He could see the strain on all their faces and he was about to add to it.

"Hey, Boss." DiNozzo paused and studied Gibbs' face as he halted in front of him. "What's wrong?"

At that, Abby turned from his desk and something in his expression must have registered as her already pale skin blanched further. "Who?"

There was no way to sugar coat this.

He wouldn't even know how to try.

"Ducky."

Abby gasped, hands flying to her mouth and Gibbs reached out a hand to urge her to his side. "Palmer called. Ducky had an heart attack on the beach when dispatch rang him about... this." Gibbs gestured around him. He curled an arm around Abby and she leaned into him. "They revived him and he's in hospital now."

Ziva broke out into muttered cursing, mostly in Hebrew, and turned to land a furious kick on the side panel of the partition by her desk before bracing her arms on the top, hanging her head as she drew in ragged breaths.

Abby shook her head and spun away from him, pigtails flying as she began to pace, her distress evident in her voice. "Oh God, no... no, no, no, not Ducky, Gibbs. Ducky was supposed to be _safe_. That's what we said earlier, right?" She threw him a pleading glance and he nodded. "At least Palmer and Ducky are away from this... this... hellhole."

"How is he?" Tony interjected quietly before Abby could get into her verbal stride.

Gibbs refocused on his SFA. "Needs an operation to put in stents."

Abby came to a halt in front of him, looking at him with green eyes shining with tears. "Did they get to him in the golden hour, Gibbs, coz that's very important... vital in fact... essential... crucial... critical. The chances of survival increase exponentially if they can get the patient to treatment quickly."

Gibbs nodded, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Palmer said so, yeah."

"Well, that's good, yeah? That's gotta be good. So we gotta be positive, right?... coz we can't lose Ducky... not Ducky... Dear God, please not Ducky..." Abby whispered brokenly, and this time the tears did spill over down her cheeks as her face crumpled.

Gibbs moved forward and tugged her into a hug and her arms went round him to clutch his back tightly. "I know, Abbs. But Ducky's strong."

"And stubborn." Tony put in, his concerned gaze fixed on Abby.

"He's in good hands." Gibbs wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing a kiss to her hair as she pressed her face into his neck, her breath hitching as she sobbed and he brought one hand up to cradle her head, not caring who saw him.

"Is there anyone this bastard can't reach?" Ziva dealt another furious kick to the panel which had survived the explosion but was now sporting a large dent.

Tony stepped up cautiously behind Ziva, placing his hands on her shoulders and squeezing. "This is no time to be using a contraction, Ziva."

That brought a huffed chuckle from Ziva and a sniffled laugh from Abby where her face was buried into his neck. Gibbs exchanged a grateful glance with Tony over Abby's head, nodding his thanks.

Ziva turned, straightening her shoulders and pulling her control around her with a visible effort. "I was just about to leave to pick up McGee from the hospital and drive him home. I will tell him about Ducky then, if you wish, Gibbs?"

Gibbs titled his head in agreement, as Tony went on. "You sure you don't want me to pick up Tim... your driving might put him over the edge, Ziva."

"I will be fine, Tony... McGee will be fine." Ziva patted her partner on the arm, giving him a brief smile, recognising what Tony was attempting to do with his teasing. She looked over to Gibbs. "I will be back after I have taken McGee home."

Gibbs nodded, watching as Ziva left, before looking down at Abby who was drying her tears with her hands but still not moving from his arms. "You gonna be okay, I gotta go," he asked quietly.

Abby gave him a wan smile, her hands unconsciously brushing dust off his shoulders. "I'll be fine. Go... you're needed elsewhere."

Gibbs released her and Abby stepped back. He snagged her hand before she could turn away. "Come to the house later? Don't want ya to be alone." He also wanted to know she was safe.

"I'd like that, thanks," she said, tentatively, squeezing his hand. "And you shouldn't be alone either." Abby turned away to resume clearing his desk.

Gibbs caught Tony's eye and gestured with his head in Abby's direction, communicating silently that he wanted his SFA to keep an eye on Abby. There was no one he trusted more to look after everyone.

Tony nodded, glancing at Gibbs as he passed before saying quietly, "On it, Boss."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3: All Is Not Lost

**Summer of Extremes**

A/N: Set later the day of the bombing, expanding on and hijacking that wonderful Fornell / Gibbs scene at Gibbs' house.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – All Is Not Lost**

Abby emerged from the bathroom, hearing the murmur of voices from downstairs.

She was safe at Gibbs' house.

Fornell had driven them both there at the end of this gruelling day. Gibbs' truck had been damaged by flying debris in the blast and looked a write-off, but Abby's beloved hearse was thankfully unscathed. However, the trail of debris, rubble and glass on all the road surfaces near the NCIS building meant it had been impossible to drive out of the parking lot anyway.

It was a very minor thing compared to the death and destruction, but Abby remembered standing in the parking lot, staring at Gibbs' truck and feeling irrationally pissed off and upset at one more illustration of Dearing's reach.

So after she'd collected her go-bag from her vehicle, Fornell had driven them both back to Gibbs' house before heading out again to pick up food. Gibbs and Abby headed for separate showers, both keen to wash off the dirt and blood from the day.

Predictably, the Marine finished first and was now downstairs talking to Fornell. Abby had taken her time, relishing the chance to get clean, the hot water soothing away more than the grime as it beat down on sore muscles, stinging slightly on her cuts, and soaked through her hair as she shampooed the dust away.

Afterwards, wrapped in a towel, Abby rummaged through the first aid kit in the main bathroom. She rubbed arnica gel on the bruises which had blossomed on her arm and shoulder and spread more antiseptic cream on the cuts on her leg and neck, replacing the dressings the EMT had applied which had become begrimed by the end of the day.

Abby doubted if Gibbs had done the same, and probably couldn't reach the cuts on his back anyway, and she slipped the tubes into the pocket of her sweatpants when she got dressed, ready for an argument later.

She slipped one of his USMC T-shirts on, which she'd 'acquired' at some point in the past and which she kept packed in her overnight bag. As she dressed, she winced as sore muscles protested. What didn't creak, just ached, especially her shoulder which had taken the full force of her fall to the floor.

And she was so very tired.

All she wanted to do was curl up and try to go to sleep, but knew she wouldn't be able to settle until she'd seen for herself that Gibbs was okay, both physically and mentally.

Gibbs had been particularly quiet on the journey home, his exhaustion hanging round him like a cloud, the strain of the day now plain to see. He'd held it together all day, being strong, focused, controlled, driven, taking care of everyone else who looked to him as they always did as one of life's natural leaders.

And now it was just them, Gibbs could let go. He didn't have to put on a front with either her or Tobias.

And she didn't feel like putting on a brave face anymore either.

So Abby was grateful that Fornell hadn't pushed either of them to talk on the journey, just driven them back to Gibbs' house silently, almost hovering as they came into the house. Abby had almost sagged with relief as the comfortingly familiar, safe surroundings wrapped round her as the front door closed behind them.

* * *

"You never dress up for me anymore." Fornell placed the beers on the dining table, but his attempt at levity didn't raise a response in the tired figure sitting there.

He could see Gibbs was wound tight as a spring and solidly behind his defensive wall; so it might take a bit of chipping away the edifice before he could get through.

Fornell watched carefully, weighing up his options, as Gibbs popped a cap on one of the beers and picked up his notebook, holding it at arm's length in order to read it. Fornell sat down at the table. "You hungry?"

Gibbs still didn't answer or make eye contact as he wrote in his notebook, so Fornell tried a different tack. "You call your old man? Tell him you're okay?"

That did get a brief reply as Gibbs nodded. "Yeah."

Fornell sighed, feeling for his friend and what he'd gone through today and what he still had to cope with, recognising the signs of a Gibbs retreating. He was determined not to let that happen or they'd have another Ari situation on their hands.

Fornell deliberately softened his voice. "You take a break, Jethro. You're home now..." He made the point he had a feeling might get through the armour. "Abby's here... she's safe."

A sharp glance was all he got but Fornell felt relieved it had hit home as Gibbs sighed, throwing down his pen. "Navy Yard is my home too. That didn't stop him, Tobias."

Fornell nodded as he reached for his beer and waited patiently till the Marine finally made eye contact again. "He hurt my family."

He'd already lost one family at the hands of a madman.

Today, he'd nearly lost another.

Fornell sipped his beer. "I know." He let the silence drift for a few seconds and nudged one of the food cartons across the table. "Brought cannoli."

Gibbs gave a small smile at Fornell's coaxing, shaking his head slightly. "What's next, huh? What if Dearing's done?"

"He can't just walk away."

Gibbs nodded. "Oh yeah, he can. Sure he can. He can go under."

"Every federal agency's on alert." Fornell leaned forward, holding Gibbs' gaze. "Will you let me take the reins on this one, Jethro? The President said to proceed with extreme prejudice. I'm proceeding."

Both men looked up as they heard Abby come downstairs. "Sorry, guys, I don't mean to interrupt. I thought you might need these, Gibbs." Abby held out his glasses as she walked over to the table. "At least I think they're yours... I mean, they look like yours. I found them on the floor by McGee's desk and who'da believed it... it looks like they came through with barely a scratch, although the frame's a bit bent... here, see."

Gibbs smiled gently as he stood, folding his hands over hers to still her nervous fidgeting. "Thanks, Abbs."

Fornell suppressed a smirk as he watched the two of them, taking in Gibbs' changed body language, the softening expression on his face as he looked at the one person who could make him lower his defences simply by being in the same room.

If Abby hadn't been here for Gibbs to focus on, Fornell figured his job tonight would be much harder.

Gibbs tilted her head gently to one side, examining the fresh bandage on her neck and Abby saw his eyes drop to her leg and forestalled his question. "Fresh bandages on both... it's fine."

Abby gazed at Gibbs for a moment, taking in the dark T-shirt and blue jeans, the tired lines on his face as he placed his glasses on the table. She threw a small smile at Fornell who raised his beer in a salute before turning back to Gibbs. "I, er, won't disturb you... I just wanna get something to drink."

"Hot chocolate?"

Abby nodded. "Yes, please, but I can do it."

Gibbs shook his head. "No need. I got it."

Gibbs walked into the kitchen and Abby watched him as he started preparing her drink. He looked drained, his posture not as straight backed as usual, his hair still wet from the shower and his movements careful as if his muscles were as sore as hers.

Fornell looked over at Abby as she stood there, his concern clearly visible. "You should eat something too, Abbs. Been trying to persuade Jethro to do the same, without much luck."

"I'm not very hungry, Tobias." Abby eased herself into a chair at the table.

"Even so." Fornell pushed the takeout container in her direction and was rewarded with a small smile.

"You're a nag, you know that."

Fornell titled his head, smiling. "Never denied it."

Abby chuckled softly, feeling like it was the first time she'd done that all day. It probably was. "Alright, alright... mother hen."

Fornell nodded, before leaning in to confide. "Besides, if you eat something, I've got more chance of getting _him_ to eat something."

"Heard that, Tobias." Gibbs walked back in to drop silverware and plates on the table, enough for all three of them.

"See, it worked," Fornell mouthed at her, pointing at the plates, as Gibbs turned to walk back into the kitchen.

"So I see." Abby patted his arm affectionately, thinking that Fornell was probably one of the few who could get away with treating Gibbs like this, without making it feel too much like fussing and without the Marine blowing his top.

Fornell rested his hand on hers, squeezing softly. "Really glad you're okay, Abbs."

Abby bit her lip, lowering her voice. "He saved me, Tobias... I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for Gibbs."

"Sounds like he wouldn't have moved away from that car if you hadn't been at risk. So it seems to me like you saved each other." He leaned in to murmur. "Don't waste it."

Startled, Abby glanced at Fornell, seeing his gentle smile and the knowing gleam in his eyes. But before she could respond, Gibbs appeared from the kitchen, carrying her mug of hot chocolate and more beers for himself and Fornell.

The three of them ate in near silence, too tired to talk, but it was a comfortable silence, until shattered by the phone call to Fornell with the news of the death of his agents and how Dearing had slipped through their fingers once more.

* * *

After an angry and frustrated Fornell had left to supervise the mopping up operation, they finished their meal. Abby insisted on clearing up, needing a few minutes to herself to process the news of Dearing's latest attack, wondering whether it would ever end.

When Abby came back out of the kitchen, Gibbs was sitting at the dining table, twisting his empty beer bottle in his hand, staring down at his hands, seemingly lost in thought.

Abby pulled the cream and gel out of her pocket, dangling the tubes in front of him. "I'm guessing you couldn't reach the cuts on your back?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Just scratches, Abbs."

"Maybe so but even scratches can get infected, especially with all that gunge flying around in the air today. Please, Gibbs, let me help."

Gibbs gazed at her for a moment before sighing and reaching up to pull his T-shirt over his head. He turned his back to Abby, sitting sideways in the chair.

Taken by surprise at his relatively easy capitulation, she stared for a moment, swallowing as her eyes roamed over the expanse of his back, watching the play of muscles under the skin.

There were only a few scratches on his back, some more livid than others but they at least looked clean. Several bruises marred the skin of his right shoulder and upper arm, a match to those she'd collected but on the opposite shoulder when they both hit the floor.

When she didn't move, Gibbs glanced over his shoulder. "Abbs?"

"Oh, right... yeah. Sorry." She mentally head slapped herself and moved forward. Now was not the time to ogle the skin she'd fantasized about for years. "Okay, this might sting a bit... and it's cold."

Unscrewing the cap, Abby gathered some of the antiseptic cream on her fingers and began spreading it smoothly across each of the cuts on his back in turn, taking care to cover each one until it soaked into his skin. She felt his slight shiver and watched goosebumps chase across his skin.

The touch of her fingers on his back felt anything but cold.

The way her free hand unconsciously rested on his shoulder as the fingers of her other hand worked in the cream felt like a warm brand on his back; her touch tender and gentle.

Abby bit her lip as she concentrated, trying not to get too distracted but all too aware of the expanse of his skin. His nearness tugged at her... the length of his back, the way the muscles dipped into the groove of his spine, and the breadth and strength in those shoulders.

And this close to his bare skin, his scent surrounded her... fresh and clean from the shower, the simple aromas of his soap and something so _him_ combining to invade her senses and make her feel lightheaded.

And _oh lord_, there were freckles... a smattering across the muscles right in front of her. She fought the urge to press her face against his skin or nuzzle into the short silver strands at the back of his neck.

"Let me put some arnica gel on that shoulder. Mine got a bit bruised too," she went on hurriedly as he glanced over his shoulder, forestalling his comment. "It's okay, I did mine after the shower but I'm guessing you didn't put anything on yours."

Gibbs shook his head, unconsciously flexing his shoulder. "S'not too bad but go ahead."

"Won't take a minute and it'll give time for the cream to dry. You don't wanna rub it straight off again." She spread the gel over his shoulder, working it in gently, feeling the muscles move under her fingers, exhaling a suddenly shaky breath when she finished. "There... all done."

"Thanks, Abbs." His voice sounded rougher than usual, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Gibbs stood, turning and shucking on his T-shirt, and her eyes had a few seconds only to take in the front view of his broad chest with its smattering of silver hair.

"You should try and get some rest."

Abby sighed. "Yeah... I guess I should, I sure feel tired enough and so should you, Gibbs." She wasn't sure how she was going to block out the horrors of the day enough to be able to get any sleep but if she was going to be any use to anyone tomorrow, she had to try.

"I will." Gibbs stepped close, cupping her cheek, his thumb stroking the skin softly and Abby leaned into his touch as he bent to brush a kiss across her cheek, lingering for longer than he would normally.

She moved in for a hug, sliding her arms round his waist and he enfolded her in his arms. Without her boots, her head tucked into his neck and she nestled against him and they stood there, enjoying the closeness and the quiet for a while.

Abby eventually pulled back and squeezed his hand, whispering goodnight and Gibbs watched her climb the stairs.

* * *

Gibbs wasn't sure what woke him from a fitful sleep and it took a few seconds to register the sound of Abby's voice coming from upstairs; moans and words he couldn't make out. By the time he'd gotten to his feet, a louder cry of his name sounded and he took off for the stairs.

When he entered the guestroom, the light from the landing seeping into the room, Abby was sitting up in bed, hunched over, her head in her hands.

"Abbs..."

Abby jumped at the sound of his voice and her head came up and his heart broke at the distress in her eyes as gazed at him. Gibbs moved rapidly to her side and Abby reached for him as he settled on the bed beside her, tugging her into his arms, feeling her shaking.

Her breath hitched in a choking sob and Abby shuddered as she buried her head in his shoulder. Gibbs wrapped his arms round her gently, the angle awkward from his sitting position but wanting to hold her. Her own arms came round his back to clutch at the back of his T-shirt tightly as he rocked her gently. His hand cradled the back of her head, stroking over her hair, soothing them both.

It was a few minutes before Abby spoke, her voice small and quiet. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. Didn't mean to wake you... it was just a stupid nightmare."

Gibbs nuzzled her hair. "Sshh... doesn't matter. C'mon... lie down, you'll be more comfortable."

Abby rubbed her face as she pulled back, giving him a wan smile. Abby shuffled up the bed and lay back on the pillow, still hanging onto his hand. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes pleading. "Don't go, Gibbs. Please stay with me."

Although there was no way he could refuse her if she was upset, Gibbs debated with himself if this was a good idea, wondering if it would be safer for his self control if he retreated downstairs. But he found himself needing the contact as much as she did tonight.

He heard her sigh of relief and whispered thanks as he nodded briefly before moving round to the other side of the bed, sliding under the covers next to her and without hesitation, Abby moved closer and into his arms.

Abby was still shivering slightly and he pulled the covers up around her as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hand settling on his chest as she tried to burrow as close as she could. "This okay? It's your other shoulder that's bruised... like mine."

"It's fine, Abbs." He ran his hand gently up and down her spine, absorbing the feel of her against his side.

They lay quietly for a while, until her trembling subsided. Gibbs felt so warm and she wanted nothing more than to snuggle into that warmth and shut out the rest of the world.

"I'm so glad you're here, Gibbs."

"Me too." She heard the rumble of his voice under her ear and felt him press a kiss to her hair. "Wanna tell me about the nightmare?"

She tensed slightly and he felt it, moving to stroke her hair as she eventually replied. "It was just about today... I'm sure you can guess."

She didn't want to go into the details of her nightmare; her treacherous brain had provided her with the worst version of today, that the unmoving weight of Gibbs on top of her in her lab was because he was dead.

She hated her subconscious mind sometimes and its all too vivid imagination.

"What else has he got up his sleeve, Gibbs? What's next?"

After today, Gibbs knew she didn't want promises he couldn't keep but he didn't like the sheer dejection in her tone, which seem to have gotten worse as the day went on. "Don't know... Do my best to keep ya safe, Abbs."

"I know you will... but I mean everyone else too. If he blames you, you could be next... once he knows he didn't get you the first time."

"He's had time to take us all out one by one long before now. Think the building was his big play today."

Abby nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah, I know... I just... I'm just scared. He's affected so much... so many dead, injured and some still missing... and Ducky..." she broke off, her voice choking in her throat.

He swallowed hard round his own emotions before answering. "Ducky's tough."

"I know... but I'm glad Jimmy was there, and Breena... but even that was spoiled for them. It's not the start to married life they pictured."

"S'not one they'll forget in a hurry, that's for sure, but at least they're both okay." He settled himself more comfortably in the bed, covering her hand on his chest with his own. "How long before Ducky can travel again... after the operation?"

Abby raised her head. "Good question. I'm not sure. I'll check tomorrow. Ducky'll hate being stuck down there. He hates hospitals... even more than you do."

"Sure does." He brushed her bangs off her forehead. "Want you to stay here, till we get Dearing." He made it sound like a statement rather than a question and braced himself for an argument.

Abby bit her lip, wanting to accept but not sure if she should. "That could be a while... not that I'm not grateful but you don't want me underfoot in your house all the time, and I can't stay away from my apartment indefinitely. Don't tell me it's gonna be another Reynosa summer when we're all under guard."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "It's either me or Darren. Take your pick."

"Darren's got a broken arm." Her pout was mutinous and he met it with a level stare and she eventually huffed and lowered her head back onto his chest. "Oh, alright. At least you make a better pillow than Darren."

She felt him stiffen and waited for the inevitable. "Abbs?"

She fought a shiver at the tone of his voice and raised her head to meet his stare. "Just joking. Really... don't break his other arm. I was just joking."

He cupped her face, stroking her cheek. "Need you safe, Abbs... need you here."

She swallowed at his expression, answering softly. "Okay then... here is where I'll be."

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4: Something Good

**Summer of Extremes**

A/N: Set after they thought Dearing was dead... the first time.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Something Good**

"So, it's over." Abby turned to Gibbs as he entered her lab.

"Guess so."

Abby eyed him, trying to read his expression. "You don't sound either sure or relieved, I can't make up my mind which... a bit like how you looked in autopsy. You don't doubt the results, do you?"

"No more than you do," Gibbs countered, remembering the look they'd shared in autopsy while Vance and Fornell celebrated outsmarting Dearing. He wasn't questioning the science, just that his gut was telling him something was off but he hoped he was wrong.

Abby held up her finger, tilting her head. "Point taken. Although 50% certainty is way more than we could have expected from so little viable tissue, Gibbs. It just felt a bit..."

"Quick to get him?"

"Yeah, almost an anti-climax I guess... which is silly because if we've ended it quickly, then it means no more bloodshed, at least from _him._" Abby waved her hands.

"I'll take whatever we can get." Gibbs reached out to rub her arm. "You ready to go?"

Abby nodded. "Yup... although you'll be glad to get your house back to yourself, get me out from underfoot I guess. You don't need to put up with me for much longer. I can get back to my apartment."

Abby turned away to hide her own expression and walked through to pick up her bag from her office, so missed the flash of disappointment that ran across his face.

After that first night following the bombing, she'd spent the past couple of nights at Gibbs' house; once while Gibbs spent most of the night in MTAC setting up the operation to take out Dearing when she slept alone in his guestroom only to be woken with another nightmare... this time it was one where her imagination supplied the horrible scenario where Ducky didn't survive his heart attack.

And last night Gibbs had made it back home very late after Dearing had been taken out. She'd managed to persuade him to join her in the guestroom bed, reasoning to herself that his presence would help stave off another nightmare... and nothing to do with the way his body felt curled round her. He'd put up only token resistance before sliding in beside her and both had slept deeply as he spooned behind her.

But Abby knew she couldn't allow herself to get used to it.

It would hurt too much when she wasn't able to sleep in his arms regularly, so maybe it was best to go back to her apartment now. She had to protect herself somehow and put her walls back up. Her heart had taken enough of a battering over Gibbs over the years.

His voice drew her out of her maudlin thoughts. "You're never in the way, Abbs."

He'd felt better knowing Abby was safe at his house. He didn't want her anywhere else but couldn't come up with a good enough reason for her to stay, other than that he needed her.

But of course she'd want to go back to her apartment. She loved her space.

Why would she want to stay with him?

Technically, he didn't even need to drive her home. The roads around the NCIS building had been cleared, after a fashion, and they'd been able to get her hearse out of the parking lot, even as he'd watched his old truck towed away, ready for the scrapyard. He was using the Challenger for now but would have to finally replace his old faithful at some point when he had time.

Her lab was a long way from being back to normal, along with the rest of the building. Some of her babies were damaged beyond repair but the Major had survived. Fire damage on the walls and ceilings would be dealt with gradually, as would replacement windows. But as with the bullpen, Abby's lab looked darker than normal, robbed of the natural daylight the large areas of glass had provided because of the windows being boarded up.

"The first funeral's tomorrow." Abby's soft voice drew his attention as she returned to his side. "Will you be able to make it now you've got... _him_?"

It was the first of many funerals. Too many.

A lot of the victims' bodies were being transported back to their families out of state. But there were quite a few who had family here in D.C. and were being buried locally, or who were on their own entirely and the only 'family' they'd had was with their job.

Not all the families wanted anyone other than close relatives at the funerals of their loved ones, but for those that did, there were many the team would attend.

Some were close friends, other merely co-workers... all mourned for the early waste of life.

There were too many people still in hospital; some with life changing injuries, others luckier and due to be discharged soon, even if their road to complete recovery would be a long one. And there were still some people unaccounted for.

"I'll be there." Gibbs grasped her hand, squeezing reassuringly. He paused before asking, "Stay tonight, Abbs... please?"

She looked at him, startled at his use of please, watching his expression closely and seeing the brief vulnerability in his eyes as he met her gaze. She nodded, feeling hugely relieved. "Okay... I'd like that."

"We can go together tomorrow."

The shy smile and tightening of the hand in his told him he'd done good.

* * *

Gibbs closed the front door of Abby's apartment behind him with a sigh of relief, dropping his go-bag on the floor. Two weeks on, the last of the funerals were over... and while the team hadn't suffered the kind of grief visited on the families, it had still been a harrowing couple of weeks.

The ramifications of Dearing's actions still reverberated long after he was dead.

Gibbs turned to Abby as she stood in the hallway, her shoulders slumped and her backpack dropped at her feet. He walked up behind her, resting his hands on her arms and she leaned back into him, closing her eyes briefly.

"Is it wrong to feel relieved that that's the last of them?"

He kissed her temple, rubbing her arms. "No. Just honest."

"Thank you, Gibbs... for coming with me today."

A friend of hers in admin had been buried today, killed as she left the building, and although Gibbs hadn't known the woman well, he'd gone with Abby, as he'd done several times this week just for support. She'd done the same for him, for the funerals of people he'd known well, or those he attended in his capacity as Senior Agent alongside the Director.

"Nowhere else to be, Abbs."

Gibbs squeezed her shoulders before shedding his jacket and loosening his tie. If he didn't have to wear his black suit again for a while, it would be too soon.

Abby headed for the kitchen, calling out over her shoulder. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

She pulled open the fridge, staring at the sparse contents. "Hmm... looks like it's stew or stew."

Gibbs came up behind her, peering over her shoulder. "Same you brought last night?"

Abby pulled a face. "Yeah... sorry. Leftovers is about the best I can do right now."

He rested his chin on her shoulder, hands on her waist. He hadn't meant it as a criticism. "Works for me. It's good stew."

Abby had turned up at his house last night unprompted, bringing food and undemanding company. He'd been working quietly in his basement, thinking through the day... another funeral of an agent he'd worked with for years.

But he'd heard her distinctive footsteps overhead without the feeling of resentment for the interruption he'd expected, acknowledging to himself that he was hoping that she might turn up.

Pretty soon, enticing aromas had drifted down the steps, to be followed by Abby coming downstairs carrying a tray, with two steaming bowls of stew and a plate of bread. He'd hauled a sawhorse over to a workbench and she'd not said a word, merely kissed his cheek before sitting by his side in companionable silence as they ate, neither making a big deal of what had become a ritual of unobtrusively taking care of the other.

Abby pulled out the container from her otherwise nearly empty fridge. "I should really stock up... I think between us, we've gone through the contents of your freezer and mine these past couple of weeks. I need to have a cookathon and get some groceries or I'm gonna starve."

Gibbs reached into the cupboard for bowls, as familiar with her kitchen as he was with his own. "We've got the weekend off call, Abbs. I can help if ya want?"

"You offering to cook or go grocery shopping with me, Special Agent Gibbs?"

He inclined his head. "Maybe. I'm good at carrying."

"Wow... stop the world, I wanna get off," she teased gently.

His grin was wry, but it faded quickly enough when he examined her profile, taking in the extra pallor and the smudges of tiredness below her green eyes. "Time off will be good for ya."

"And for you too. You look exhausted."

These past couple of weeks, Gibbs and Tony had been the rocks everyone else in the team relied on and both men were looking tired and drained, sheer fatigue dragging them both down. The entire MCRT had been given the weekend off call and everyone had been more than eager to go home and do nothing but sleep the days away.

She'd tentatively asked him to come back with her after the funeral and had been quietly thrilled when he'd agreed. She was determined to take care of Gibbs this weekend, even if she had to employ the Tobias mother hen method and probably get into an argument about it.

Gibbs didn't answer her observation, merely inclined his head before changing the subject. "What else d'ya want me to do?"

Abby looked round. "Umm... it's okay, I got it. We got bread and thank god the coffee supply is okay, and there's even bourbon somewhere if you can find it and beer, so I think we'll survive till tomorrow. Why don't you grab a shower while I get this stew heating up and then you can finish off for me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Abby smiled as she watched him leave her kitchen.

She'd spent just as much time at his house this last couple of weeks as at her apartment, in the same way he'd been here with her. They'd still spent time on their own but it had become an almost unspoken routine that every other night, they'd leave work together and end up at either his house or her apartment... gradually dumping spare clothes in each others' space as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

She certainly slept better when Gibbs was under the same roof and even better when he was in the same bed. Another nightmare had been the catalyst for the first time he'd slept at her apartment and ended up in her bed, and since then, they'd ignored any awkwardness and continued the routine without discussing it further.

There had been nights when Gibbs had been the one woken from the throes of a nightmare and she'd been able to reach for him in the night and quietly let him wrap himself around her as he calmed down, even if he never told her what his nightmares were about.

And something had subtly shifted between them these past two weeks, slowly but steadily drawing them closer.

So many times over the time they'd known one another, they'd drawn back from crossing that line that they could both feel in front of them. While acknowledging the connection and attraction between them, subconsciously suspecting how much they cared about one another, they'd consciously held back.

But now, instead of drawing back, Gibbs seemed to be following through.

The glances lasted longer... the touches lingered... the electric tension between them increasing to the point where he could stop the breath in her throat with a single glance, or the brush of his fingers against her skin would set her nerves tingling and heart pounding.

Abby was still afraid to address it head on for fear it would make Gibbs retreat again. So she felt like she was tentatively treading water, returning the glances and the touches, to try and tell him with her body language and face how she felt, without having to find the words in case she screwed it up.

At the very least, spending time together and helped dull the edge of the pain of recent events... had helped ease the grief.

* * *

As she began cutting bread for them both, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled as her Gibbs-o-meter went off and Abby glanced over her shoulder, nearly slicing her finger off in the process at the sight that greeted her.

Gibbs was standing in her kitchen doorway, his head buried in a towel as he dried his hair, rubbing vigorously. When he emerged from under the towel, draping it round his neck, his hair tousled and looking darker as it was still damp, she felt heat flash through her as she took in his white T-shirt snugly fitting across his chest and shoulders and the dark sweatpants riding low on his hips.

As her gaze ran down his body and ended at his bare feet, Abby had a fleeting thought that it really shouldn't be possible that someone could look so hot wearing something so simple.

He looked so masculine and vital, filling her small kitchen with his presence as he so effortlessly dominated any space he occupied.

Facing front again before he could catch her gawping or she started drooling, whichever came first, Abby turned back to try and concentrate on cutting the bread without losing a digit or three.

"Smells good, Abbs."

She shot him a smile as Gibbs came up next to her, invading her personal space in his usual fashion as he reached past her to grab the coffee jug. This close, she absorbed the clean freshly showered smell of him. The stew wasn't the only thing that smelled good.

She closed her eyes briefly, grabbing for her self-control before she did something obvious like press her face into any bare skin she could reach. If she turned her head, that neck would be just in front of her mouth and she could nuzzle her way to the short hairs at the back of his neck...

Startled, she suddenly smelled coffee and opened her eyes to find Gibbs waving a full mug under her nose. From the knowing smirk on his face, she wondered if he was aware of the effect he was having on her.

She took the mug with a smile, slugging back a large gulp, trying to clear her head, chiding herself that her hands were trembling and it wasn't the caffeine.

His low voice beside her draw her attention. "I'll finish up, Abbs. You go and shower."

* * *

While he waited for Abby to finish in the shower and for the stew to heat through, Gibbs stretched out on her couch, turning over the past weeks in his head.

He was trying to decide if he should wait much longer before trying to find out how Abby felt about him. He didn't want to take advantage of her when she was still turning to him for comfort, still feeling vulnerable after the explosion, and in the wake of grief at losing friends and colleagues and having her sanctuary at work disrupted.

But he was getting impatient.

Having Abby stay with him and the time he'd spent here with her only made him want more... and the time spent sleeping in the same bed was only increasing his longing to make that a permanent fixture of their lives. Enfolding her in his arms at night, his body wrapped round hers, tested his self control to know what those soft curves and skin felt like under his mouth and hands.

He'd made a conscious effort not to hide his feelings behind his walls as he usually did, deliberately letting them show on his face, trying to read her response and he'd seen the desire she'd masked before, had seen her own guard begin to drop.

She'd always been someone who thrived on physical contact but she'd increased that this last couple of weeks, to the point where they were rarely out of physical contact with each other when they were alone... sitting nearer... standing closer together... together with an acceptance of casual touches that had become second nature.

He'd read her body's responses to his touch, his words, his glances and it gave him encouragement that maybe he'd gotten it right; that she felt the same way about him, or at least that there was something physical to build on. He had to hope that gradually, if he made a move and they started a relationship, that it would grow on her part to be something more emotionally... that it would come to mean as much to her as it did to him.

That one day she might love him as much as he loved her.

So it was time to make good on that promise to himself that he'd made as they'd escaped from the bombed building; that if Abby shared his feelings, he'd make her a complete part of his life far more than she was already.

He looked up as Abby came into the room, his breath catching as his eyes ran over her sweatpants and a T-shirt that clung to her. Her dark hair was damp and loose, curling round her shoulders and his hands itched to bury themselves in the thick strands.

As good as she looked with her war paint on, there was a delicacy about her natural beauty when her face was free of make-up that was rapidly becoming his favourite look.

She leaned against the end of the couch, feeling desire coil low in her belly as she gazed down at Gibbs stretched full length along her couch, hands behind his head. "I see you're keeping a close eye on the stew. What you doing, glaring at it from here so it doesn't boil over?"

He quirked a grin. "S'kay, Abbs. Everything's under control. It's about ready to dish up I think."

He reached down to pick up a beer from the floor beside the couch and handed it up to her. As she toasted him with it and took a sip, Gibbs levered himself off the couch. He couldn't resist leaning in as he brushed past her to press a soft kiss onto her cheek, her scent wafting around him, making his stomach flip.

* * *

Dinner was eaten in comfortable silence and after they'd cleaned up side by side in the kitchen, Abby entered the living room, joining Gibbs on the couch as he poured them a shot of bourbon each. After downing a shot in one go, Gibbs curled an arm round her shoulders, tugging her into his side as he leaned back.

They talked quietly about the past couple of weeks... the toll the almost daily funerals had taken on everyone, sharing memories of the people that had died and the schedule of repairs for the building and how long it would be before the place began to feel back to normal again.

Ducky would be flying home soon. The operation to insert the stents had gone well but it would be another week or so before he was cleared to fly. Gibbs had spoken to him earlier today and Ducky had been more than impatient about the wait.

Gibbs wasn't sure whether to warn his friend about what Abby was planning for his recuperation when Ducky did come back to D.C. From the sound of it, Ducky was likely to be mothered to within an inch of his life and he'd no doubt have to try to rein her in a bit.

When Abby began smothering yawns into his shoulder, Gibbs chuckled and removed her glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. He manoeuvred them both until they were lying back on the couch and she curled into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You look tired, Abbs. Go to sleep."

"You smooth talker you." She chuckled, resting a hand on his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heartbeat. She let herself doze in the quiet, absorbing his warmth and how he felt against her, how his hand stroked up and down her spine and the gentle press as he dropped a kiss on her head.

"Thank you for staying again," she murmured quietly after a while.

"Always will if ya want me to." The feel of her softness pressed into his side made him never want to move from this spot.

"That's okay then coz I'll always want you to." She felt his arms tighten and took a deep breath. "Need you, Gibbs."

"Need you too, Abbs... more than I can say."

He tilted her head up so he could see her eyes, seeing a spark which seemed to reflect his own yearning right back at him but with a vulnerability that tugged at his heart.

Gibbs slowly closed the distance between them, brushing his lips lightly across hers and she responded without hesitation, pressing closer as his mouth moved across hers, gradually learning the taste and feel of one another.

Needing air, Abby tore her mouth away with a gasp and tucked her face into his neck, her breath against his skin stirring his senses. He pulled her head up to take her mouth again, deepening the kiss, his insistent tongue sweeping inside to tangle with hers, his blood pounding in his ears as she moaned.

His demanding kisses eventually slowed to become almost languid, before leaving her mouth to kiss his way back down her jawline to nip her earlobe, grazing his teeth gently down her neck and over her pulse point.

"Wait..." Her voice gradually penetrated the fog of desire and brought him crashing back to reality and he raised his head, taking in her hazy eyes.

Worried he'd gotten it totally wrong, he began pulling away, only be stopped by her hands grabbing his shoulders and leg thrown over his to stop him moving. He stared at her, frowning. "What's wrong, Abbs?"

"No, I don't mean wait wait... I just..." She took a deep breath, her pulse racing as desire coiled through her but she had to know one thing first. "I gotta ask, Gibbs... gotta know. This isn't just... a rebound from Dr Ryan is it?"

"Why d'ya ask that?"

"Well... I know you said you and Dr Ryan were done and she's gone but are you done because she's gone, or were you done anyway, even before she went... if you see what I mean?"

Abby had heard the rumours of why Dr Ryan had left, that her ex-husband had been sprung from jail. But she needed to know whether Ryan and Gibbs were over by then anyway.

Or more to the point... if he'd want Ryan back if she returned.

He cupped her face. "Told ya we're done."

"I know... but if she came back, would you want her back?" She met his eyes, biting her lip. "I won't be a bedwarmer for another woman, Gibbs."

He couldn't hide the hurt that he felt, even if he could understand her caution. "D'ya think I'd do that to ya, Abby?"

"No... no, I don't, but I had to ask." Her gaze flicked up to his and away. "I gotta protect myself. I can't have you, Gibbs... and then watch you walk away from me."

He tilted her face until he could hold her gaze, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Ryan's gone. We're done. Don't want her back even if she comes back." He leaned in to brush her mouth with his lips. "It's you I want."

That earned him a brilliant smile and he felt relief surge through him as she moved in to kiss him again. When they separated, Abby scrambled off him and the couch, holding out her hand. Gibbs returned her grin and stood, pulling her immediately into another kiss that left them both breathless. His hands slipped down to her ass and he boosted her up as her arms grasped his neck and her legs wrapped round his waist.

They exchanged one heated kiss after another as he carried her through to her bedroom, navigating by instinct and memory as he was barely conscious of anything other than the woman in his arms.

Clothes were rapidly shed as hands roamed over bare skin for the first time, mouths and tongues exploring eagerly, teasing and arousing. She felt the blood pounding in her veins as she lay back on the bed, watching his hungry blue eyes roaming slowly over her body, taking time to do her own inventory of a fantasy sprung to life.

Naked, he was all hard lines and bulk, not overly muscled but toned in all the right places, lightly tanned and with silvery chest hair that made her fingers twitch to card through it.

Abby pulled him down onto the bed with her, moaning at the first heated slide of naked flesh as Gibbs settled over her body, the friction of his chest against hers setting her nerve endings on fire.

His mouth trailed from her neck, suckling over her pulse point and the spider web until she writhed beneath him, her own hands roaming over his shoulders and down his back to massage his ass as he rocked against her lazily, making them both moan.

When his warm mouth sealed over a nipple, any coherent thought scattered and she clutched at his head, spearing her fingers through his hair, nails scraping lightly in the short hairs at the back of his neck. By the time he'd tongued and nipped his way from one breast to the other, his fingers slipping between her legs to tease her, Abby's cries and moans were increasing in volume, driving him crazy.

Raising his head, he watched as she rocked against his fingers, making a mental note of what she liked and what triggered the most response. When he removed his fingers, she groaned in disappointment, opening her eyes to see his cocky grin and before he could react, she took him by surprise and rolled him onto his back.

She began her own exploration and he fisted a hand in her hair, shifting on the bed restlessly as her mouth trailed across his body. When she took him in her mouth, his head fell back into the pillow as he moaned her name. The sight and feel of her warm mouth closing on him nearly had his brain melting out of his ears.

Holding him in her mouth, she let the taste of him burst onto her tongue, sliding along the ridge underneath, cataloguing what caused him to moan, to almost hiss a low response and to outright _beg._

Watching as her tongue swirled around him, Gibbs struggled not to fall apart too soon as she licked and suckled, her dark head bobbing over him. His mind focused on the sensations until he felt his control slipping, calling her name with a growl that contained a warning.

Abby raised her head, letting him slip from her mouth slowly, her impish grin as she crawled up his body turning into a squeal as he rolled them back over, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss. When he pulled back, Gibbs looked down as Abby lay beneath him, eyes glowing, her skin flushed, a seductive smile curving those full lips.

He braced himself over her and she urged him closer, spreading her legs as he lined himself up and slid inside with a deep thrust that took her breath... the sensation as they were finally joined nearly overwhelming them both.

Gibbs stilled when he was fully seated, resting his forehead against hers, framing her head in his arms as her wet tight heat rippled around him.

There was no way he would last too long... not this first time.

They could take their time later. They had all night... all weekend and he intended to use it, to start making up for lost time, to continue reminding himself that she was alive and safe... and _his_.

But now he couldn't wait.

He wanted to know what it felt like to drive inside her over and over, to hear her call out his name and feel her come apart beneath him.

Abby arched her back, her legs wrapped around his hips, heels digging into his ass as she urged him wordlessly to move, _goddammit_.

His chuckle was low and skittered through her nerve endings but finally he began to move and pulled almost all the way out, holding himself there until she opened her eyes and glared at him. His lop-sided grin broke out again and she moaned as he slid back inside, setting a slow but steady pace.

It wasn't long before whatever control Gibbs was hanging onto slipped away as she began squeezing her internal muscles round him and he plunged into her harder... faster. His hand fisted in her hair as he sped up and Abby met him thrust for thrust, the noises she was making driving him crazy.

Gibbs felt the pressure building and she was right there with him. He felt and heard her moan as her teeth sank into his shoulder as she unravelled beneath him, screaming his name as her climax ripped through her. His hips snapped erratically against hers and he growled into her neck, driving inside with a final strong thrust as his orgasm consumed him.

It was some time before either of them could move, lying tangled together as they recovered their breath, neither finding the need for words.

Conscious he was probably squashing her, Gibbs slipped out of her gently and rolled onto his back, bringing Abby with him to sprawl bonelessly across his front, throwing her leg over his possessively. Abby nuzzled a soft kiss into his chest, carding her fingers through the sweat slicked hair there.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. Abby nestled her head into his neck as she fell asleep and it wasn't long before he followed her into slumber.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5: Risking Everything

**Summer of Extremes**

A/N: Given how concerned the team were about Gibbs about going after Dearing alone, I can't imagine Abby was any less worried...

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Risking Everything**

"You're going after him, aren't you... and going alone."

Abby's greeting came out as a statement rather than a question, making Gibbs sigh inwardly as he walked into her lab, eyeing her cautiously.

Well, that answered the question of whether he'd have to explain what he was doing and where he was going... as well as how she would take the news.

She was pissed at him, that much was obvious from the resigned tone and defeated slump of her shoulders, Gibbs wondered if he'd have an argument on his hands or if they were already past that stage.

Gibbs had hoped that Abby would understand what he had to do, but was honest enough with himself to realize her reaction was more likely to be anger and hurt. She'd made it plain in the past what she thought of him going lone wolf, even if his reasons were good ones at the time, but the fact that they were now lovers probably made it worse.

He hoped he wasn't about to screw up their fledgling relationship.

This side of it was still uncomfortably fresh for him.

In keeping his professional life separate from his personal life in the past, he'd been able to keep his wives from being directly exposed to the risks he took with his job, even while they'd tried to understand and accept with varying degrees of success the consequences of what he had to do for his work.

It was one way he tried to protect them, even if not all of them saw it like that.

Some women he'd been involved with, like Jenny and Hollis, understood as they'd shared the same risks. Abby straddled both camps too, in a way, even though she wasn't out in the field. But he still had that instinct to protect her as much as he could, from the knowledge as much as the danger itself.

At first, Shannon had found that aspect of being a Marine difficult to cope with, especially when he was deployed far from home and she didn't get to hear what was happening every day.

They'd worked through it and Shannon had figured out better than anyone how to support him, to give him space when he needed it, and how and when to push through his walls. And in her acceptance, he'd learned how to share what he could and how to lean on Shannon in turn.

Feeling uncharacteristically uncertain, Gibbs came to a halt beside Abby as she stood at her workbench. Abby threw him a quick glance, taking in his appearance, her eyes snagging on the pack he'd dropped at his feet. She looked away again, facing her monitor but it wasn't quickly enough to hide the pain and worry in her eyes.

"Have to, Abbs."

She visibly flinched at his words but eventually replied softly, "Yeah, I know, Gibbs. Doesn't mean I have to like it... and it doesn't mean I won't worry about you." She looked at him again and this time held his gaze. "You figured out where he is, didn't you?"

Gibbs nodded but said nothing.

Ever since it had been confirmed a couple of weeks ago that the body down in autopsy was his brother and that Harper Dearing was still very much alive, Abby had feared it would come to this. That Gibbs would figure it out and decide to confront Dearing on his own.

She'd been on edge the entire time, feeling she was almost waiting for this moment, but all the while hoping against hope that some other agency would find him first... that this wouldn't all come back to Gibbs' door.

They'd had no idea what else Dearing might be planning and tensions had been high ever since the search had resumed.

Gibbs had been particularly tight lipped and distracted this past week. She'd given him the space she thought he needed, sometimes waiting for him to come to bed in the early hours and other times retreating to her apartment, feeling powerless to reach him and also unable to hide the hurt she felt at being shut out.

It was still too early in their relationship for her to have found her feet enough to know when to push him and when to back off.

And last night Gibbs said he needed time to think and that he was expecting a visitor, the Director.

Since they'd crossed the line into something more than friends, they'd spent a lot of their nights together. But as Vance didn't know about their relationship, none of the team did, Gibbs said it was easier and safer if Abby stayed at her apartment last night.

It made sense but it didn't stop Abby curling round her pillow, tossing and turning restlessly for most of the night, her mind worrying over what was happening at his house. She'd been unable to sleep as much because she wasn't wrapped around his hard body, as for the churning in her gut that something very bad was about to happen.

And now in her lab, when Gibbs didn't elaborate with any details, Abby sighed, shaking her head and turning away to head into her office, throwing her comments over her shoulder. "I get it, Gibbs... I do._ He_ has to be stopped. But why do you have to go alone?"

"Because he's expecting me to come alone."

Abby stopped in her tracks, turning to stare at him in disbelief as he followed her. "Oh, and because _he's _expecting you to come alone, you're going to do what _he _wants? He's waiting for you."

Gibbs nodded briefly. "Countin' on it."

"And each time we've thought _he's_ been pinned down, it's been a trap..."

When Gibbs just stared at her with an unreadable expression, she glared at him, stepping closer, seeing his jaw set stubbornly in response. "You need to let Tony have your back or Ziva or McGee. I can't imagine any of them are happy about you going all Lone Ranger again."

When he didn't reply, Abby spun away from the stare down and started to pace, waving her hands. "Look what happened last time when you went to Mexico and the time before that when Tony ended up diving into the Potomac. If Tony or Ziva or McGee tried this, you'd head slap them into next month."

She'd argued with him before over the years, trying to make him see reason and take more precautions. It flashed across her mind that their new relationship, her new role in his life should make him listen to her... but maybe she was fooling herself that things went like that with Gibbs when he was involved with someone. Maybe it made him more stubborn?

She had hoped that their relationship would give him a reason not to risk his life like this again. But maybe she was wrong and 'them' didn't mean as much to Gibbs as it did to her.

"Don't wanna argue with you, Abbs. My mind's made up."

"And when your mind's made up, your mind's made up, yeah, I know." Abby came to a halt by her desk, hugging her arms across her chest, biting her lip as she tried to suppress her tears.

She didn't want to argue with him.

She hated doing that at the best of times but especially now, when harsh words might be the last ones they ever exchanged.

Nor did she want to throw Gibbs off his game when he needed all of concentration for the upcoming confrontation with Dearing. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him because he was distracted by their argument.

She'd gone through this with Gibbs and the rest of the team for so many years but it was something she never got used to. She'd watched them go out the door, facing the reality that one day it may be the last time she'd see any of them, and that the last words you say to someone going into a dangerous situation could literally be the last _ever_.

It had all come horribly true with Kate and Jenny... and Mike.

It was why she tried not to unload too much baggage onto everyone, however much she wanted to lecture each and every one of them every time they went out the door... or preferably duct tape them and throw them into the nearest closet to keep them safe.

"Abby..." His tone was softer and she closed her eyes against the pain that rose up at the thought of losing him.

Abby spoke so quietly he had to strain to hear her as she faced away from him. "I'm just so scared, Gibbs... that you might not come back. I just found you... Don't wanna lose you."

Abby felt his presence close behind her as he invaded her personal space in his usual fashion. His hands came to rest on her upper arms, squeezing gently, his voice low in her ear. "Not planning on throwing my life away."

Too conscious of the cameras to do what she really wanted and throw her arms round his neck and kiss him hard, she settled for leaning her head against his. "Need you... I love you, Gibbs... so much."

He closed his eyes, breathing her in.

It was the first time she'd told him that since they'd become lovers.

He'd been trying to find the courage to say it first but wasn't sure if he'd be moving too fast for her, so to hear it from her now threatened his own control.

His voice was rough and gravelly to his own ears and he felt her hands come up to cover his where they rested on her arms. "Love you too, Abbs."

She couldn't stop herself this time and turned to throw her arms round him, squeezing tightly, trying to make it look like one of her usual hugs. She pressed her face briefly into his neck, murmuring against his skin. "Please be careful. Promise me."

"Promise." His arms tightened round her in turn and his lips brushed her cheek but wanting to do so much more. "Wanna come back. Got something to come back for now."

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6: Coming Home

**Summer of Extremes**

A/N: Set after Gibbs kills Dearing and comes home... where someone is waiting.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Coming Home**

Later that night, Abby curled up on Gibbs' couch in his darkened house, her arms wrapped round a cushion as she sat, staring off into space. She hadn't bothered turning the main lights on, just the lamp on the side table, finding comfort in the dim light of his familiar living room.

She'd been unable to settle to anything.

Tried reading and given it up. And despite the tiredness she felt, she couldn't sleep. Pacing didn't work either. Nor did watching TV.

She'd come straight here from the Navy Yard when she was finally too tired to concentrate on work and at risk of making a mistake. Too restless to go back to her apartment, she'd come here to wait for Gibbs... to this place that felt like home as much as the man in it.

At least she knew now it was over.

Dearing was dead... _really,_ finally, completely, utterly and totally dead this time.

Gibbs had rung shortly before she left work to put her mind at rest. That act alone warmed her as much as the tremendous relief that Gibbs was okay.

Maybe now they could concentrate on _them_ and on getting back to normal at work, whenever the repairs would be complete, and on helping Ducky recover from his heart attack.

It had been just over a month since she and Gibbs had become lovers and it had been going well, or so Abby had hoped. She was certainly happier than she could ever remember this early on in a relationship, which made the continuation of her nightmares a source of frustration for them both.

She seemed to sleep well enough when they were together in the same bed, with only the occasional disturbed night's sleep. It seemed to be only when she went back to her own apartment or pulled an all-nighter at work, that she had a nightmare; his presence seemed to keep them at bay most of the time.

And lately, there had been the added tension which neither could ignore, knowing that Dearing wasn't dead. It meant that they'd never really been able to relax fully in the past couple of weeks... Dearing hovering over everything like some dark cloud that wouldn't blow away.

Pulled from her thoughts, Abby heard the front door open and blinked as the hallway light came on, waiting until Gibbs appeared in the living room doorway. Her car was outside so Gibbs didn't look surprised when he spied her huddled on his couch.

Abby swung her legs to the floor, leaning her elbows on her knees and scrubbing her hands over her face before pushing herself to her feet. "So... it's done, really done."

Gibbs sighed. "It's done."

She walked slowly towards him, looking him over carefully, taking in his strained face and the slight slump to his shoulders as if the effort of holding himself Marine straight was too much now he was home. Her eyes ran down his figure, snagging on his arm and she darted forward to grab his hand, turning the sleeve to the light.

"It's not mine."

"So I see... blood spatter. Are you hurt?"

Her mind automatically supplied the answer to the way the sleeve was patterned with blood, even while her emotions registered how close Gibbs must have been to Dearing to even get blood on his sleeve in that way.

"I'm fine." His eyes in turn were taking their own inventory, trying to work out her mood and if she was still pissed at him.

A subdued Abby was a hard one to read... and an Abby after an argument was a bit of an unknown quantity too.

They'd had plenty of fights and arguments as friends.

This was their first one as lovers.

She was even paler than usual and she still had dark smudges under her eyes, and it worried him she wouldn't meet his gaze for more than a fleeting second.

"Well, I'll wait till I see if you're fine with my own eyes. Have you eaten?"

Gibbs shook his head in reply, feeling awkward, wanting to reach out and hold her but not sure if she'd welcome it. "You?"

Abby shrugged. "Not yet... was waiting for you. I'll heat something up for both of us."

Gibbs nodded. "Thanks. Gonna take a shower."

Gibbs turned away when she nodded and he headed for the stairs, glancing back over his shoulder to see Abby watching him, but he couldn't decipher her expression.

This tentativeness was not _them_... as if they were weighing the other up; tiptoeing round each other, both not wanting to say the wrong thing and make it worse, which he was very good at doing, especially when he was so tired.

* * *

When Gibbs returned from the shower, he found Abby in the kitchen, heating up soup. The situation was eerily like their first night as lovers but this time the atmosphere was totally different... edgy, wary, awkward, uncertain.

Gibbs stepped up beside her but before he could say a word, Abby turned and wrapped her arms round him tightly, pressing her face into his neck, exhaling on a shuddering breath. "Oh, Gibbs."

Feeling a surge of relief, his arms slid round her back, almost crushing her to him but Abby only clung onto him more fiercely. Gibbs turned his head to bury his nose in her hair, letting her familiar scent wash over him.

It had been a long time since there'd been someone in his life that he _wanted_ to turn to like this; who he trusted enough to lean on when times were rough.

Once he'd made the phone call to Director Vance with the news about Dearing, it had been a natural instinct to call Abby. He knew how worried she was and hoped it would set her mind at rest, and maybe show that he didn't take their relationship lightly.

All the way back in his new truck, all he could think about was how much he wanted to see Abby, to hold her but not entirely confident of his welcome.

They stood quietly together for long moments, absorbed in each other's presence, until Abby drew back, her green eyes glittering with unshed tears. She cupped his face, brushing a soft kiss over his mouth.

"I'm sorry I gave you a hard time, Gibbs... and don't tell me not to apologize coz I feel I need to."

"No, you don't. I understand, Abbs. Didn't wanna cause you any pain." He nudged her nose playfully, trying to take down the emotional temperature. "You weren't the only one pissed at me."

She huffed a soft laugh. "Yeah, I had Ziva wearing a groove in my lab floor earlier and it was very impressive the number of words she managed to come up with that still meant stubborn."

Gibbs chuckled softly, remembering Ziva's forthright opinion of his plan earlier in the day in the bullpen.

"McGee's been doing that quietly worried _thing_ he does so well while hammering his keyboard through the desk, and Tony's been swinging between being way too quiet and biting everyone's heads off all day, along with popping into the lab to see how I am."

"And how were you?" He stroked her hair off her forehead.

She shrugged. "I coped..." She neglected to mention how she'd spent the day trying to bury herself in work and not freak out, with only varying success. She leaned her forehead against his. "So I'd say we'll all be glad it's over. D'ya wanna eat now... or after a stint in your man cave?"

In answer, Gibbs kissed her lightly before moving to get the bowls out of the cupboard and spoons from the drawer and set the table.

She watched Gibbs for a moment, feeling something settle back into place inside her at the sight of him. "Food it is then."

They ate in near silence but it was a more comfortable one than before. When they were done, Abby offered to clean up, pressing a kiss to his hair as she stood. "Go... I know you need time."

Gibbs snagged her arm as she turned away, examining her eyes. "You staying tonight?"

"D'you want me to?" she asked uncertainly.

Gibbs nodded, sliding his hand down to tangle their fingers together, squeezing gently. "Stay."

She smiled slightly before leaning down to kiss him on the mouth. "Don't wanna be anywhere else."

* * *

After an hour in his basement, Gibbs felt calmer, more settled... both over the events of the day and the hope that his new relationship with Abby hadn't been damaged too badly.

Finally being face to face with the man who'd caused so much death and misery had both troubled and relieved him. Mixed in with the relief that here was a chance for it to finally be over had been feelings of uneasiness, especially when Dearing tried to find common ground between them.

It didn't help that he'd partly made the connection himself to Vance, in trying to convince the Director to let him go alone when he'd argued that he'd known where Dearing would be because that's where he would go, back to the house where the important memories were.

It's what he'd done for the past twenty years.

He vividly remembered curling his hands into fists to stop reaching for Dearing when the man had tried to make the comparison with his own feelings for Kelly's home. The casual way the man had thrown his daughter's name at him had made his blood boil, as if their situations were the same... as if Dearing was seeking some sort of understanding and acceptance on Gibbs' part.

There may have been similarities in losing their children too soon but the way they'd each dealt with their loss was vastly different. Gibbs hadn't killed innocent men and women in his revenge... even if innocent people had suffered in other ways since the day he'd shot Hernandez.

For Dearing to imply that their loss somehow made them kindred spirits had sickened and angered him.

For it now to be over... _really_ over... removed this cloud that had taken over their lives. They could now get on with the future... one he was determined involved Abby in every way.

* * *

Abby had gone up to bed while Gibbs was down in the basement, but hadn't been able to sleep, merely dozing and turning restlessly.

The bed was too big and too empty without him and anyway, she was still getting used to sleeping in _this_ bedroom... Shannon's room. Since that first night as lovers in her apartment, the next time they spent the night together, it had been at his house and he'd taken her hand and led her in here and not to the guestroom.

It had both made her nervous and thrilled her.

Tonight, it wasn't until much later that the door opened and his large frame appeared in the doorway. She watched through half closed eyes as Gibbs undressed and as soon as he slipped under the covers, he scooted nearer and curled round her without hesitation.

She rolled towards him, sliding her arms round his back, running her hands over the warm skin, wanting to feel every inch of him... to remind herself he was in one piece.

He was _here_... home and everything was right in her world again.

"You okay?"

Gibbs brushed his thumb gently across her lower lip, murmuring her name as he stared down at her. "Need you."

Shivering under the intensity of his gaze, Abby drew his head down into a slow kiss which he soon deepened, trying to pour everything he felt into it. She opened to him readily, a mewling whimper escaping her throat as she pulled him closer.

They had to break the kiss as Gibbs pulled her T-shirt off, hands smoothing down her body before rolling on top of her, savouring the feel of her skin. He kissed his way slowly down her body, paying attention to those spots he'd learned drew the most response until she was writhing beneath him. Abby undulated her hips as his mouth teased her moist heat and her back arched as she grabbed for the headboard with one hand, threading her fingers through his hair with her other hand.

Abby was rarely quiet in bed but there was an extra desperation to the sounds she was making tonight, and his body responded until he was achingly hard.

When Abby was gasping his name over and over and he could feel by the tensing of her muscles and urgent edge to her movements that she was close, Gibbs eased back, grinning against her skin and nipping her thigh as she cursed him.

Her hands reached down to grip his shoulders and she almost hauled him up her body and into a fierce kiss, her hands roaming over as much of him as she could reach as she tasted herself on his tongue. She needed her hands and mouth on him... needed to revisit every gorgeous inch, to remind herself what she nearly lost.

Abby rolled them over, reaching between them to take his hard length into her hand, rubbing her thumb over the weeping tip, feeling him buck into her touch. He pulled her down into another kiss, cupping her head in his large hands and growling into her mouth when she teased him with her fingers, stroking him leisurely.

Gibbs flipped them over again and settled between her legs, running a lazy hand gently over her hip before nudging slowly inside, sinking all the way in one long deep thrust.

Abby groaned, wrapping herself around him as much as she could, relishing his weight pinning her down, the heat of his skin, the overwhelming feel of him surrounding her. Her fingers ran down his back, scraping lightly with her nails and drawing another growl from his throat.

Weight braced on his forearms, hands tangled in her hair, Gibbs watched as a whole range of emotions chased across her expressive face. Beginning to move slowly and deeply, he felt her arms clutching him tightly, her cries becoming louder. She skimmed her fingers down to his ass, feeling the rhythm and strength of his thrusts through the muscles under her hands.

Her head arched back into the pillow, exposing the smooth column of her neck and he kissed and licked over the creamy skin. Her legs rose higher to wrap round his back and they both groaned as the altered angle plunged him deeper. He felt himself coming undone by the wave of rising warmth, the feel of her skin, the way she clenched around him, the noises she was making.

This was about them and no one else.

It was reaffirming their connection, strengthening their bond... an apology and a celebration he was alive all wrapped up into one.

His entire body tingled as the sensations surged through him... the slowness not quite enough to send them over, but enough to drive them both to the brink and keeping them hovering there.

Gibbs raised his head to watch her unravel as she began to tremble beneath him. Her gaze locked with his and his heart squeezed in his chest at the love and devotion he could see so clearly in her eyes.

When Abby finally cried out, he let her release begin to pull him the rest of the way as he changed the pace, plunging faster... harder... deeper... lost in a haze of raw sensation. With a low groan of her name,, he buried his head in her neck as he felt his climax rip through him. It was prolonged and intense and left him trembling as they clung together.

The room was filled with gasping breaths as they lay there still joined, heartbeats gradually slowing...

... aware only of each other.

TBC... in _Fall of Recovery_, which will cover tags / missing scenes from episode 2 to the end of episode 8. It might be a while as I'm still writing them!


End file.
